Duhkha "A Place You Can't Come Back From"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 850048184183
STREET DATE: 8/9/24
CAT#: GFM109
LABEL: Good Fight

Hailing from Southern California, Duhkha's members have cut their teeth in the hardcore and metal scenes of California over the past two decades, including time in Eighteen Visions, Seizures, Teeth, and Dangers. Shortly after forming in 2020, they released a self-titled 7" in 2021 on Escapist Records. Duhkha spent much of 2021 and 2022 playing shows with the likes of Stick To Your Guns, Eighteen Visions, END, Pressure Cracks, Heiress and more before taking 2023 to write their debut full length. A Place You Can't Come Back From was recorded, mixed and mastered by the band's own Erol Ulug in his studio Bright Lights in Santa Ana, CA and will be released in 2024 on Good Fight Music. Duhkha has constructed 11 compositions of chaotic and aggressive metallic hardcore for fans of Coalesce, Deadguy, Botch, and Meshuggah. The songs borrow from the various golden ages of metallic hardcore, djent, math, and death metal, combining all to create something novel, fresh, and extremely well-crafted.

TRACK LISTING:
01. Ictal
02. Arrows (feat. James Hart)
03. Echo Theft
04. Ascension Night
05. Defecting Our Vanished Light
06. I
07. Heaven Screen
08. A Crisis Area Forever (feat. Trevor Friedrich)
09. Dweller On The Threshold
10. Revelator
11. null

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Features members of Eighteen Visions, Seizures, and Teeth

FOR FANS OF:
Coalesce, Deadguy, Botch, Meshuggah

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Racetraitor "Creation and the Timeless Order of Things"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 850048184039
STREET DATE: 11/24/23
CAT#: GFM103
LABEL: Good Fight Music

First formed in 1996, the band - Mani Mostofi (vocals), Dan Binaei (guitar), Andrea Black (guitar and backing vocals), R. Brent Decker (bass) and Andrew Hurley (drums) - continue to be at the forefront of experimental hardcore, as sonically and politically charged as ever. The 13 songs on Creation and the Timeless Order of Things focus on fighting for liberation from the oppressive systems that destroy humanity and the earth, while creating a geographic autobiography of Racetraitor.

The first single, "Eid," takes the listener to Iran. With singer Mani Mostofi and guitarist Dan Binaei both being the children of Iranian immigrants, "Eid" represents the band digging into their family stories after the 1979 Revolution. The track stretches the band's sound by blending their trademark metallic fury with heavy Persian classical music, contributed by renowned Persian classical musician, Fared Shafinury, as well as a guest feature from UK-Iranian vocalist, Patrick Hassan (xRepentancex). Making the video for "Eid" was a risky experience, as the cinematographer shot footage within public spaces of Iran, an act that could be criminalized in the country. The result is a blend of Iranian culture and history mixed with striking live performance shots, and can be watched HERE.

With the album originally set to be completed in 2020, as the for-profit medical infrastructure failed to protect the populations of earth, the band like many others, didn't finish the record as planned. Instead, this inspired Racetraitor to look at what they wanted to achieve sonically in a new light, creating a sound that is heavier, more psychedelic, and more worldly all at once. The band also took this time to have friends record additional vocals on the album, including contributions from Dennis Lyxzen (Refused), Tim Kinsella (Joan of Arc, Cap'n Jazz), Stan Liszewaki (Terminal Nation), and Sanket Lama (Chepang) to name a few, plus Ethan Lee McCarthy (Primitive Man) contributing a noise track.

The record addresses specific places, events, visions, and people, that all tie to the band members histories. As Mani expands:

"In the past people seemed more interested in our story as a band than the themes we sing about. So I tried to create an album that bridges that. What have we seen and experienced that makes us the people and band we are. Places that our families are from, places that we have lived or worked. And through these geographies we address all sorts of socio-political issues from exploitation of migrant workers to domestic violence to indigenous rights. The end result is a much more personal record."

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Eid
  2. Chamelecón
  3. Cave of the Patriarchs
  4. Godspeed
  5. Land Acknowledgment
  6. Pastoral Monolith
  7. Black Creek / Red River
  8. Santa Apolonia
  9. Sarcophagus
  10. Subordinate Terror
  11. Cape Rerenga
  12. Sword
  13. Pangaea Proxima

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Features guest performances by Dennis Lyxzen (Refused), Tim Kinsella (Joan of Arc, Cap'n Jazz), Stan Liszewaki (Terminal Nation), and Sanket Lama (Chepang)
  • Noise track by Ethan Lee McCarthy (Primitive Man)

FOR FANS OF:
Earth Crisis, Hatebreed, Integrity, Undying, Arkangel, Morning Again, Disembodied, Xibalba, Damnation AD

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MouthBreather "Self-Tape"

LP - $17.25 / CD - $7.00
LP UPC: 850048184084
CD UPC: 850048184053
STREET DATE: 11/24/23
CAT#: GFM104
LABEL: Good Fight Music

Massachusetts metal act MouthBreather have announced their fourth album, Self-Tape, set for release November 10th on Good Fight Music. Having shared the early single "You Try To Die" in June, today the band follow it up with the absolutely chaotic "Ethical Hunting." Creating their own genre - Gadget Metal - MouthBreather fuse together elements of metallic hardcore, technical metal, post-hardcore, and more into a frenzied swirl. "Ethical Hunting" is two minutes of pure rage, as scathing vocals meet monster sized riffs and more eccentric moments tie it all together. The song is inspired by a scene in the horror thriller The House That Jack Built, tying into the album's concept of each track being influenced by a different movie. The short film that accompanies "Ethical Hunting" follows its own psychological thriller path, creative and uncomfortable. The video was produced by vocalist Brett Cates and Sof Puchley, directed by Louie Chapman.

Self-Tape is unrelentingly heavy, crushing, and unforgiving. It's an album of mental decline captured through the influence of films that have inspired the band at key points in their lives, from horror to drama. In true MouthBreather fashion the record is totally original, but fans of 2021's I'm Sorry Mr. Salesman, 2018's Dollmeat, and 2017's Pig will all find connectivity. The album was produced by Nick Cates and Ryan Fosdick, and mixed by Nick Cates, at Burnout Labs, and mastered by Jay Maas (Defeater) at Getaway Recording.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Ethical Hunting
  2. Imaginary Skin
  3. Wave to Me
  4. You Try to Die
  5. Shotgun Funeral
  6. iDoctor
  7. Rot Out
  8. I Know Best
  9. Solemate
  10. Self-Tape

MARKETING POINTS:

  • On tour in December w/ Left to Suffer, Tallah, Chamber, and Tractotomy

FOR FANS OF:
156/Silence, Wristmeetrazor, Frontierer, The Callous Dao Boys, See You Next Tuesday, Gaza, Chamber, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Portrayal of Guilt

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See You Next Tuesday "Distractions"

LP - $17.25 / CD - $7.00
LP UPC: 860008449252
CD UPC: 860008449238
STREET DATE: 2/17/22
CAT#: GFM102
LABEL: Good Fight Music

When See You Next Tuesday went on hiatus in 2009, their intention of getting back together eventually diminished. With a steadier life outside being on the road, the band members continued on with their separate lives. Fast forward to 2015, the band received a festival offer in their home state of Michigan and decided to take the stage once again. With only playing a few one-off shows over the years, in late 2020, misfortune became the inspiration for guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Drew Slavik, and suddenly he and vocalist Chris Fox were writing another album. The result is Distractions, set for release on February 17, 2023, on the band’s new label home Good Fight Music.

Formed in 2004, See You Next Tuesday made their mark in the world of extreme metal with the release of their albums Parasite (2007) and Intervals (2008), both on Ferret Music. Pushing forth on controlled chaos, the band has been able to evolve since their initial output and Distractions finds them delving into a new, modern grindcore sound. The thirteen songs on the record are full of fast and heavy guitars accompanied by an invigorating vocal performance from Fox. The true standout is in the drum work, provided by Slavik, displaying a maniacally bold use of blast beats that perfectly intertwine with his homemade samples. Distractions was recorded at Slavik’s home studio where he also handled production and mixing, and was mastered by Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, In Hearts Wake).

Expanding on the writing and recording process, Slavik states:
“The writing process was amazing! I wrote in my home studio or in my head and recorded everything as it progressed. Being a mailman, I walk 8 miles a day, and I was able to listen and critique each song, every step of the way, pushing myself as a player, writer, and producer even further than ever before. My main goal musically was to write something different. I never really shot for the 'best' because that is so arbitrary, however, I strived to be unfamiliar in a sense, not just with the music, but the overall sound as well.”

While the music came naturally, writing the lyrics ended up being a more difficult process. Eventually turning into a cathartic experience, the tracks became personal yet still up for interpretation in a broader sense. Much of the material on Distractions focuses on struggles with mental health, while a few songs explore more sensual themes. Leaning into the euphemism of the band name, the opening track “How Sensitive” reclaims what some might deem as offensive and makes it just a word. The lead single “Hey Look, No Crying” fixates on the feeling of slowly moving towards your death, encompassing the sonic energy of descending into the afterlife. Microsongs like “Glad To Be Unhappy” and “Call Me Irresponsible” use synthesizers for more frantic moments, while “Day In The Life Of A Fool” feeds into that more structured mayhem. Following suit of closing with a slower song on the band’s previous releases, the record ends with “Strange Music”, a nearly eight-minute-long track fueled by doom.

Although Distractions started as a literal distraction for See You Next Tuesday, it quickly became what they hope is only the beginning of their next chapter.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. How Insensitive
  2. What a Funny Girl You Used to Be
  3. Hey Look, No Crying
  4. Why Can't You Behave
  5. Glad to Be Unhappy
  6. I'll Never Be the Same
  7. I'll Never Smile Again
  8. Day in the Life of a Fool
  9. Call Me Irresponsible
  10. This Happy Madness
  11. I Had the Craziest Dream
  12. That's What God Looks Like to Me
  13. Strange Music

MARKETING POINTS:

  • First new music since 2008
  • Recorded, mixed and mastered by Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, In Hearts Wake)

FOR FANS OF:
Grind, Death Metal, Mathcore

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Ether Coven "The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail"

LP - $17.25 / CD - $7.00 / $7.00
LP UPC: 860008449214
CD UPC: 860008449221
CASSETTE UPC: 860008449276
STREET DATE: 9/16/22
CAT#:GFM101
LABEL: Good Fight

Dark. Bleak. Pissed. That’s how vocalist and guitarist Peter Kowlasky’s describes Ether Coven.

The band was born from lengthy van conversations about New Orleans sludge bands and a desperation to create a sound the members had always been fans of. Ether Coven has become an outlet for brooding riffs and frayed emotions, evolving greatly since the project’s first release, 2016’s Human Error. The band then went on to release two albums with Century Media, There Is Nothing Left For Me Here (2019) and Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering (2020).

Fast forward to 2022, and Kowlasky is joined by his Remembering Never bandmate Devin Estep (guitar/vocals), alongside Justin Gianoutsos (drums), and Shane Nerenberg (bass), ready to unleash the next chapter of the band.Joining the Good Fight Music roster, Ether Coven will release their new full-length album, The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail, this summer. The seven songs on the record are impassioned and intense, staggering in sound between doom metal, sludge, and post-hardcore. The album was written amidst Kowlasky’s on-going battle with colon cancer and is filled with an overwhelming vulnerability centered around despair, loved ones, and the state of the world.

Speaking on the lyrics, Kowlasky states: “With every release, we try to be as explicit as possible. Nothing is up for interpretation, and the goal is to pull emotion out of people they may not experience otherwise, in hopes someone can connect to any of what we do.”

And Estep adds, “Ether was built as a vessel for the worst feelings we could relay. We will always discuss the state of the world, but this time there is a bit more, I think, about the world that Peter was navigating during his treatments. His experience is the lens of this record.”

Produced by Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studios, the band set out to get The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail sounding as close to their live performance as possible. Using actual pedals instead of plug-ins and the majority of vocal cuts being first takes, the recording process was able to be completed in just one week.

On the album, the band also brought in a heavy line-up of guests and friends to feature. On opener and lead single “Psalm of Cancer” the band is joined by Integrity vocalist Dwid Hellion and Pain Ritual’s Anthony Crupi (who makes several vocal contributions on the album). Listening through the rest of the tracks you’ll find appearances from Daniel Weyandt (Zao), Howard Jones (Blood Has Been Shed, Light The Torch), Tarek Ahmed (Intercourse) and Shane Post (Bird of Ill Omen).

Closing in on the writing process, Kowlasky expands: “The record is about a moment in time, rife with loss, struggle, and pain, and trying to come out the other side as okay as possible. I've been in love with our band since we started and I can honestly say it's my favorite of all of our records. It's a proper evolution of our frustrations and our intentions.”

With The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail, Ether Coven have created a stand-out record embracing their truest form as a band.

TRACK LISTING:

  1. Psalm of Cancer
  2. Afraid & Suffering
  3. god Hates Flags
  4. Of Might & Failure
  5. The Warmth of Your Bathwater
  6. Temple of Wu
  7. Consequences of Self (Let the Nails Carve Our Names in Rust)

MARKETING POINTS:

  • Features members of Remembering Never
  • Guest vocalists include Dwid Hellion (Integrity), Howard Jones (Light the Torch / Killswitch Engage / Blood Has Been Shed), Daniel Weyandt (ZAO), Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos), Anthony Crupi (Pain Ritual), Shane Post (Bird of Ill Omen / Fistula), Tarek Ahmed (Intercourse), Michael Darling (Seven Serpents)
  • Vinyl housed in a gatefold jacket on limited color vinyl

FOR FANS OF:
Crowbar, EYEHATEGOD, Neurosis, Cult Leader

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